RAWFIT est. 1999 Why is it that a lot of people nowadays think that they can just go off to University, gain a degree (no matter what it is) and walk into a job on good pay with good prospects where they’ll get promoted every few years as long as they continue to kiss their boss’ arse and make good tea? It really baffles me.
If it was that simple wouldn’t everyone just do that!? I’ll let you in on a little secret… I wouldn’t! I’ll tell you why… According to Malcolm Gladwell, the Author of ‘Outliers’, it takes 10,000 hours to become an ‘expert’. If we assume a 40 hour work week (that’s 40 hardcore hours concentrating on that specific job and improving and developing as a professional) it will take roughly 5 years to become an ‘expert’. That’s working 40 hours each week, 52 weeks per year. However, even 5 years (nearer 6 if you’re gonna have 6 weeks off each year) isn’t really that long. Look at people who left University 5 years ago, how many of them are ‘experts’ and doing incredibly well for themselves now!? I bet it’s about 5%, if that! That’s because it takes more than just showing up and doing the bare minimum to really be an expert. You have to go above and beyond what everyone else is doing.
I’m not an ‘expert’, I’m not even a professional, but I’m gonna be! I know I will be. I know I will do what it takes to reach the top, be the best I can be, help more and more people, continue to improve both physically and academically, and I know that I will have to work at it from the bottom. I don’t even want a short quick-fix way out. Why would I? That’s just for people who want an easy job, with an easy life, who wanna make a lot of money doing the bare minimum amount of work. But they’re only cheating themselves, they’re only cutting themselves short! Why do they think they can just go do a course that takes a few months or a year and then charge people a lot of money when really if these ‘clients’ just buy a decent text book they’ll probably learn more than if they “work” with this “trainer” or “professional”, whatever these people are calling themselves these days.
He'll lift it one day!
Alright, so 90% (or more) of people are willing to settle for doing their job 9-5 (or whatever it may be) and going home and relaxing until the next day when they’ll do it all over again. They’ll do what they need to do and be out of there before you can even say “it’s 5pm, see you tomorrow!”. Why would I want to be one of those 90%?
To reach the top you need to know where you’re going, what you want, and how you’re gonna get there. You need specific goals, deadlines, time frames, plans, and determination. You must be persistent, driven, and ready to work damn hard. As long as you know it will be tough and there will be times when you feel like giving up then you’ll be alright. It’s when you think it’s gonna be easy that it’ll get tough.
“Only 5% of all the people on the entire planet have what it takes to achieve greatness in any realm of life. The question is do you have what it takes to commit to one goal and see it through to the end? Because most people don’t. Those people are the 95%. The disciplined make up the 5%.” – Jason Ferruggia.
Jason is the Chief Training Adviser for Men’s Health Magazine and owner of The Renegade Gym. He’s a bad ass and an expert. But it didn’t happen overnight. He’s been in the Fitness industry for 20 years and he’s still only in his 30s. He’s made mistakes but he’s learnt a hell of a lot along the way. I learn from him. I’d say most of what I know has come from him.
If you hadn’t already noticed, I don’t really give a shit about what anyone else thinks about me. The only opinion that matters is my own. It’s when I feel content and happy with my accomplishments that I’ll be really happy within myself. But it’ll take a damn long time because I always want to improve. No matter how many challenges I face, there will always be more to smash. No matter how many people I help, it won’t be enough. You have to keep pushing and keep aiming higher and higher. It’s only then that you know what you’re capable of, and anything’s possible.
So don’t settle for thinking everything will be easy or that you can do the bare minimum and have a decent job etc. Know that reaching the top and being the best will be hard, but it’ll be so worth it.
“Anything worth having is worth fighting for”, right?
Be persistent and aim high.
Marc Stokes
